The "world" that we so love to judge, condemn and criticize is not moved by our knowledge of the scriptures or the lack of it, whether we follow or reject a particular doctrine, whether we pray in tongues or flow in the gifts of the Spirit, or not, if we are churched, unchurched or home-churched, whether we fast or feast, whether we follow certain rituals or not, whether we give or not; if we cannot love unconditionally, then we are nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.
But who said we don't love?
Sure, we do love the birds of the same feather. We love those who speak in fluent Christianese, we love those who dress, look, act and think like us. But that would be conditional love. In other words, our love is towards the standards that we expect to see in others - it is not towards the actual person, which leads to the natural conclusion, that there is zero love in conditional love.
If we were to die tomorrow morning, what would we be known for? That we were self-important, hate-filled, judgmental, Bible-thumping bigots?
Or will be known as vessels of unconditional love, because that is exactly how Jesus loved us and Who he is. The only groups of people who upset Jesus, were the religious ones, not "the world".
Well, who cares how we are known for?
That may partly be true, considering the fact that no one can make everyone happy. The goal here is not to be more 'likable'. The bottom line is, God is Love, and as his ambassadors, may we be known as conduits of that Love. If not, what "the world" sees is just another empty label.
Few scriptures to meditate:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 NKJV
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." - John 3:17 NKJV
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 NKJV
"...love is the fulfillment of the law." - Romans 13:10 NKJV
1 Corinthians 13, the whole chapter.
"If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;" - James 2:8 NKJV
"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." - 1 John 4:8 NKJV
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." - 1 John 4:11 NKJV
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